Latest Spark Insights survey shows two thirds would prefer a Carney government to one led by Pierre Poilievre. Since the start of 2026, our survey results have found that two out of three Canadians generally approve of the performance of the Carney government. There has been very little fluctuation during that period of time, all of it essentially within what...
President Donald Trump signed orders Monday to hammer certain Canadian products with 50 per cent tariffs, escalating trade tensions with the United States' northern neighbour. "President Trump took decisive action to hold Canada accountable for its retaliation and discrimination, delivering on his promise to correct trade imbalances and ensure fairness for American workers, farmers, and businesses," United States Trade Representative...
he new revenue-sharing model over the Gordie Howe International Bridge will see Canada repay its debt, but only after net revenue is split with the United States over the first 15 years, a senior government source confirmed to the Star. The statement came after days of confusion and ambiguity caused by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s remarks after he announced that...
Opposition MPs call on federal government to release text of agreement. Opposition MPs are expressing increasing frustration over the lack of details about how a deal between the U.S. and Canada to open a long-awaited major border crossing will work, with several calling on the federal government to release a copy of the agreement. Both the Conservatives and NDP have...
Surprise tariffs all but certainly change tone and focus for Council of the Federation. U.S. President Donald Trump's surprise escalation in his trade war with Canada puts renewed pressure on the premiers — most of whom have pulled American booze from liquor stores — as they descend on Charlottetown for their annual summer meeting. The White House announced on Monday...
Latest Spark Insights survey shows two thirds would prefer a Carney government to one led by Pierre Poilievre. Since the start of 2026, our survey results have found that two out of three Canadians generally approve of the performance of the Carney government. There has been very little fluctuation during that period of time, all of it essentially within what...
Political sentiment remains relatively steady as summer progresses. The Liberals continue to lead federal ballot tracking at 42.7%, ahead of the Conservatives at 31.3%, while Mark Carney remains the leading choice for prime minister. Economic concerns continue to dominate public priorities, with jobs and the economy cited most often (20.6%), followed by cost of living (11.6%). Concerns about the environment...
Library and Archives Canada has ended proactive declassification activities that helped lower the security classification of historical government records, a move access and archival experts say removes one part of an already limited federal system for making older records easier to process and release.
Domestic trade and major projects will be on the agenda as Canada's premiers gather Tuesday in Prince Edward Island for a three-day meeting coloured by a renewed tariff threat from U.S. President Donald Trump. The annual summer gathering of provincial and territorial leaders will culminate with Prime Minister Mark Carney joining the discussion Thursday. The premiers will also meet with...
It all started about fifty years ago, in the backyard of my parents’ house in La Tuque, a small town roughly 130 kilometres north of Shawinigan. Our home sat on the edge of town, and just behind it was a gorgeous forest — my playground, my refuge, my world. Then one day, a work crew arrived and began cutting it...
It’s back. As dangerous wildfire smoke blanketed much of the northeast part of our continent, the conversation about our new climate change-driven normal returned with a depressingly predictable vengeance. So too did the loopy comments from Republican politicians in the United States, reflecting a fundamental misunderstanding of both climate science and geographic realities. It is tempting, I’m sure, for some...
As Spain’s team was basking in its victory at the World Cup medal ceremony on Sunday, Donald Trump had to be nudged offstage by FIFA president Gianni Infantino. Images of Trump getting the hook went viral, with plenty of cheers for anyone who dared giving this president a timeout. And it didn’t stop there. The Spanish team then went on...
Gordie Howe must be turning over in his grave. The political football attached to the bridge bearing the legendary hockey player’s name has made a laughing stock of signed agreements. It seems the president of the United States has the power to unilaterally shut down bridges and revoke red cards in international sporting events.
Two recent developments have exposed weaknesses in relations between Indigenous communities and the rest of Canada that could derail the Carney government’s infrastructure, energy, and growth agendas as well as progress towards reconciliation. Last Tuesday, it was announced that five First Nations in British Columbia have agreed to pay up to one billion dollars for a majority equity position in...
The Conservative activist Ben Woodfinden was in despair. “I’m more depressed about the state of conservative politics in Canada right now than I think I’ve ever been,” he lamented in a widely read post online. “I look at all sorts of conservative camps and factions right now and I see intellectual poverty everywhere.” The comment was occasioned, in particular, by...
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s promise to lead Canada out of the economic and foreign policy shadow of the United States, and his bizarre Davos plan to lead a Thucydidean “middle power” revolt against Washington, has accomplished virtually nothing. Highly publicized overtures to China and western Europe are inconsequential. The United States still buys 68 per cent of our exports and...
This week, the world marks International Justice Day and the 28th anniversary of the Rome Statute, which established the International Criminal Court. All these years later, it remains among the most consequential efforts ever made to hold war criminals accountable. Now Washington has announced its intention to “dismantle the ICC brick by brick, if necessary.”
Can we just try to empathize with poor Tourism Minister Stan Cho, who is currently enjoying his five-month summer break from the provincial legislature, while earning $232,340 annually thanks to a pay bump legislators gave themselves last year? He had to spend 30 whole days at Queen’s Park during the spring session, and 28 days during the fall session, which...
Last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney appointed four people to the Senate, including his principal secretary and a sitting Conservative MP, while announcing his government will be making changes to the Senate appointment process. The move instantly drew criticism as the two appointments represented a marked shift from the way former prime minister Justin Trudeau appointed senators, strongly indicating that...
A global coalition of middle powers, led by Canada, is little more than “hubbub,” says a senior Trump administration official. The United States, he says, has never been more necessary or relevant. “We are not concerned,” wrote Under Secretary of Defense Eldridge Colby on social media this week, that a middle-power alliance capable of rivalling America “is a serious possibility.”...
For many years, Elbridge Colby has been one of the loudest voices in Washington calling for America’s NATO allies to pay their “fair share” on defence, in order to allow the United States to pivot toward the growing challenge of China.
Everybody knows Pierre Poilievre has a favourite adviser, whose counsel and wisdom he values above all. That adviser’s name: Pierre Poilievre. Where once it was the Conservatives’ greatest asset, however, Poilievre’s love affair with Poilievre has become a liability according to some Tories, and morale within the party has sagged to new depths.
If you’re Pierre Poilievre, you must be wondering, on some level, where everyone has been. Why are so many Tories suddenly complaining about the same personality you’ve had all along, and which they seemed to find so beguiling — or at least useful — when its most caustic bits were mobilized and sent into battle against Justin Trudeau’s prime ministership...
If the first rule of ransoms is that you don’t pay them, what to make of Mark Carney’s payoff to Donald Trump to open the Gordie Howe International Bridge? Make no mistake: Canada paid what amounts to a bribe. The Liberal government can dress it up as a “series of co-operative measures” regarding the governance of the new border crossing...
Raise a glass to Doug Ford, and most of his fellow premiers, for continuing to keep American liquor off our shelves. Because if there was somehow any doubt that we need to hold on to any sliver of leverage against Donald Trump, as trade negotiations heat up, it was erased by the way his hostage-taking of the Gordie Howe bridge...
As we surveyed the sickly yellow sky in Toronto on Wednesday, coloured by out-of-control wildfires up north, we thought back to the burning season of last year. In August, 2025, wildfire did to the village of Kingston, N.L., what two centuries of wars, economic depression and storms could not: wiped much of it off the map. Facilitated by drought (itself...
Carney left cleaning up the economic mess from our former PM
There are, it is sometimes said, only six people in Canada who understand the equalization formula, and five of them are dead. This is not entirely a joke. Equalization – the system of federal transfers to provinces whose “fiscal capacity” is judged to be below the national average – has become so overloaded with political fixes over the years, in...
Conservative MP Dean Allison called a news conference last week to give the media an update on his inquiry into the COVID-19 vaccine. If you’re like me, you’re probably thinking: There’s an inquiry into the COVID-19 vaccine? Why? Mr. Allison was accompanied by a couple of supporters: The husband-and-wife team of Shawn and Theresa Buckley, who run the Covid Testimony...
The 114th Calgary Stampede has come and gone, along with its performative, clichéd pancake-flipping political festival. But this year, one visitor mattered: Prime Minister Mark Carney – or rather, how Albertans would receive him. A lot is riding on the prime minister’s rapprochement with Albertans, and the vast majority of Canadians are hopeful that progress is being made and that...
As sure as summer is upon us, so are the regular tribulations of the federal Conservative Party in opposition. When the federal Conservatives sit in opposition and trail the Liberals in the polls, chances are whoever the leader is not living their best life. Step forward, Pierre Poilievre, it is your turn for a pummelling. Unfortunately for Poilievre, he tends...
The latest agreement between our government and the Trump administration to allow the opening of the Gordie Howe bridge that links Windsor and Detroit is just the latest in a long saga. After much delay and dithering, the bridge was scheduled to be open for business on June 15, 2026, after a planned ribbon cutting on June 12. The plan...
One observer said on CUSMA, Canada has to propose something that allows Trump to take the credit ‘without doing something that’s bad’
While the federal government has yet to sort out what it's doing with its order for a full fleet of fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets, it's already looking to the next big thing. Ottawa is widely expected to announce Tuesday it will join a sixth-generation fighter jet program run by the U.K., Japan and Italy -- not as a participant but...
George Harvie, mayor of Delta, B.C., has been sounding the alarm over security and crime at the province's port facilities for years, and he has plenty of questions as the federal government pushes a massive port expansion project in his city. The Roberts Bank Terminal 2 expansion project was referred to the major projects office last week for potential fast-tracking...
President Donald Trump on Monday imposed 50% tariffs on most Canadian goods, declaring that Canada has unfairly discriminated against American autos, alcohol and dairy products. The move could unleash a new wave of economic chaos, with risks of higher inflation and further fraying of relations between two nations that had been closely woven together before Trump's return to the White...
As the ambassador rose to address a roomful of suits, he held a plastic shot glass of spirit. “To U.S.-Canadian friendship, partnership and success,” said Pete Hoekstra, Washington’s ambassador to Canada, bringing the cup to his mouth. It was before 10 a.m. on Monday morning – part of a new tradition, he said, of raising a glass at forums like...
The Conservatives are looking at using parliamentary tools to coax the Carney government to release the deal it made to convince the Trump administration to open up the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Prime Minister Mark Carney was accused of spreading confusion about the bridge deal last week when he said that any sharing of toll revenue with the U.S. would...
As U.S. President Donald Trump threatens Canada with tariffs over wildfire smoke, a U.S. senator says states should be stepping up to help Canada “without the threats.” “When California was burning, Canada sent fire fighters, planes and assistance — not insults,” Sen. Adam Schiff of California said in a social media post on Sunday. “As California and other states step...
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Canada is doing foreign policy differently by reviving stagnant relationships with countries on multiple continents in pursuit of trade. "It is diplomacy like Canada has not done before, in the recent past," Anand said Monday in an interview from Islamabad, where she was meeting with Pakistan's foreign minister. It's the first visit by a...
The U.S. ambassador to Canada said Monday that Alberta and Saskatchewan could make the "most compelling" case to meet the oil needs of the United States. Pete Hoekstra, speaking at a conference in Edmonton, said the U.S. needs to find three to four million more barrels per day over the next decade and noted that Alberta was already a good...
Ontario Premier Doug Ford won't say if a former cabinet minister who stepped down last week after promising to reimburse more than $16,000 in hotel expenses will remain in his caucus. Ford was asked about Stan Cho's place in the Progressive Conservative caucus today after Global News reported the Toronto legislator had also billed his riding association for thousands of...
Canada’s premiers are meeting on Prince Edward Island this week, to discuss the biggest issues the country faces, as it grapples with looming Canada-U.S. trade talks, ongoing wildfires, rising separatist sentiment in two provinces and persistent affordability challenges. Gathering in Charlottetown over the next three days, provincial and territorial leaders are holding their annual summer meeting. Hosted by PEI Premier...
Prime Minister Mark Carney and other Canadian officials offered congratulations to new U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham — while suggesting there are areas in which the two countries can strengthen relations. Burnham was officially sworn in on Monday, becoming the fifth British prime minister in four years and the seventh in a decade. Carney offered congratulations to Burnham in a...
The annual rate of inflation eased back below three per cent in June as motorists paid less to fill up the gas tank, Statistics Canada said Monday. Inflation slowed to 2.8 per cent in June, down from the recent high of 3.2 per cent in May and a tick lower than most economists were expecting. The agency pointed to a...
The federal government has awarded Babcock Canada a six-year extension on its servicing contract for the Royal Canadian Navy's Victoria-class submarines. The contract is valued at $1.1 billion and includes options to extend the in-service support through the fleet's end of life, as the navy transitions to new submarines.
President Donald Trump has revealed he confronted Canadian prime minister Mark Carney at Sunday’s World Cup Final over the smoke drifting into the U.S. from his country’s devastating wildfires, telling him: “Our air’s being poisoned.” Trump recounted their frank exchange at Joint Base Andrews as he returned to Washington from the FIFA tournament’s finale, which he, Carney and Mexican President...
Dennis Lu, retired from Natural Resources Canada, charged with breach of trust, unauthorized use of a computer. The country's top spy agency says Natural Resources Canada approached it with concerns about former federal scientist Dennis Lu more than two decades ago, not the other way around — and has made a rare disclosure of one of its documents in court...
Persistent internal squabbles amongst senior Conservatives have dampened the morale of caucus members, staff, and party volunteers who devote countless hours to helping the party succeed and win elections, raising concerns that the infighting could hurt the party’s prospects going forward and ultimately jeopardize Leader Pierre Poilievre’s political future. “The morale is in the absolute shitter, completely,” said a Conservative...
The U.S. Ambassador to Canada is set to speak in Edmonton today at a regional economic conference. The agenda for the Pacific Northwest Economic Region's annual summit says Pete Hoekstra is to talk about how regional partnerships support cross-border relationships. The organization was established in 1991 by five U.S. states, three western provinces and the Yukon and Northwest Territories to...
Prime Minister Mark Carney says more than 5,000 firefighters and nearly 300 waterbombers and other aircraft are battling blazes as Canada experiences one of the worst wildfire seasons on record. Carney said he visited federal workers in Ottawa on Sunday morning who are helping with wildfire response efforts in northwestern Ontario and across the country. Nearly 1,000 wildfires are blazing...
Canada is widely expected to enter into a multinational next-generation fighter jet program this week, though not as a full member. International news media have reported for months that Ottawa is poised to sign onto a program to make a sixth-generation fighter with the U.K., Japan and Italy. Canada is eyeing observer status, which means getting access to inside information...
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has named MP Dane Lloyd as his "referendum lead" for Alberta. Albertans will vote this October on whether to hold a future referendum on separation from Canada. Poilievre says in an open letter Lloyd will work to listen to Albertans and address their concerns.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s newly minted senior adviser, Morgan Breitkreuz, provides weekly briefings to Alberta’s three Liberal MPs on the upcoming separation referendum while co-ordinating the federal government’s response and helping officials in Ottawa better understand Alberta’s political landscape, according to Liberal MP Corey Hogan. In an interview with The Hill Times, Hogan (Calgary Confederation, Alta.) said that Breitkreuz makes...
The Liberal government in Ottawa will bar foreign nationals who set foot in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the past 21 days from entry to Canada due to the risk of importing the deadly Ebola disease. The Public Health Agency of Canada said on Sunday the new, temporary measure will come into effect on Monday night at 11:59 p.m...
Former Nova Scotia deputy premier and longtime Dartmouth South MLA Roland (Rollie) Thornhill died Thursday. He was 90. Premier Tim Houston offered his condolences in a statement, noting that Thornhill was "a gifted debater, with a quick wit and booming voice." Thornhill was born in Newfoundland in 1935. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie, and sons Jeff and Chris.
2015 voting drive led to record on-reserve turnout. First Nations leaders in Alberta are turning to a campaign that saw record on-reserve voter turnout in an effort to tip the scales against the separatist movement during October’s provincial referendum. Grand Chief Trevor Mercredi of Treaty 8 First Nations told CBC News they want to replicate the 2015 "Rock the Vote"...
A former B.C. cabinet minister is the new leader of CentreBC, an upstart political party that lacks a seat in the legislature but offers itself as a middle-of-the-road alternative to the two major parties in provincial politics. The party announced outside the legislature that Mike Bernier is its new leader, having served from 2013 to 2024 in various roles, including...
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra says if smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to blanket New Jersey ahead of the World Cup final on Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump will not hesitate to ask the game be postponed. “If the pollution is so bad that it’s dangerous to the players or it’s dangerous to the fans, the first person to...
Across Canada, plans are underway for a massive boom in construction of the huge new data centres needed for artificial intelligence technology. But opposition is also building as residents worry about how the facilities will affect their communities -- and as the data centres themselves become a symbol of the anxieties swirling around AI. "An AI data centre is like...
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will travel to the US to attend Sunday’s World Cup final on President Donald Trump’s invitation, creating the opportunity for a reset after a month filled with regional tensions.
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra says President Donald Trump‘s threat to impose new tariffs over smoke from Canadian wildfires should be taken seriously, arguing the ongoing haze is causing economic damage in the United States. Smoke from Canadian wildfires has blanketed several major American cities, including Detroit, Washington and Chicago, prompting Trump to lash out at Canada on social...
An organization that advocates for people with disabilities is calling on a B.C. MLA to resign following comments she made about those receiving disability assistance. Disability Alliance B.C. said the remarks from Tara Armstrong, the representative for Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream, were “false, misleading, and deeply harmful.” “It is such a shame that she has continued to use her platform in such...
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) -- Sen. Darline Graham said Monday she's running for a full term to replace her late brother Lindsey Graham's Senate seat.
Video circulating online appears to show the moment Iranian missiles hit an airbase in Jordan, killing two American service members. Another remains missing after the Friday attack. And another U.S. service member was killed in Iraq on Saturday, reflecting how troops face lethal risks without being deployed into Iran.
Gordie Howe must be turning over in his grave. The political football attached to the bridge bearing the legendary hockey player’s name has made a laughing stock of signed agreements. It seems the president of the United States has the power to unilaterally shut down bridges and revoke red cards in international sporting events.
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra says if smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to blanket New Jersey ahead of the World Cup final on Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump will not hesitate to ask the game be postponed. “If the pollution is so bad that it’s dangerous to the players or it’s dangerous to the fans, the first person to...
As the ambassador rose to address a roomful of suits, he held a plastic shot glass of spirit. “To U.S.-Canadian friendship, partnership and success,” said Pete Hoekstra, Washington’s ambassador to Canada, bringing the cup to his mouth. It was before 10 a.m. on Monday morning – part of a new tradition, he said, of raising a glass at forums like...
Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand says Canada is doing foreign policy differently by reviving stagnant relationships with countries on multiple continents in pursuit of trade. "It is diplomacy like Canada has not done before, in the recent past," Anand said Monday in an interview from Islamabad, where she was meeting with Pakistan's foreign minister. It's the first visit by a...
Prime Minister Mark Carney and other Canadian officials offered congratulations to new U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham — while suggesting there are areas in which the two countries can strengthen relations. Burnham was officially sworn in on Monday, becoming the fifth British prime minister in four years and the seventh in a decade. Carney offered congratulations to Burnham in a...
U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra says if smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to blanket New Jersey ahead of the World Cup final on Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump will not hesitate to ask the game be postponed. “If the pollution is so bad that it’s dangerous to the players or it’s dangerous to the fans, the first person to...
Mexico's foreign secretary says his country isn't looking to cut a deal with the U.S. if it means abandoning the trilateral trade pact with Canada. When asked Friday if Mexico would go it alone on a trade deal with the U.S., Roberto Velasco Álvarez shook his head and said all three countries that make up the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) have...
Resource projects in Canada – including mines, pipelines, and energy infrastructure – often require engagement with affected First Nations before they can proceed. When consultation is mishandled or ignored, the consequences extend well beyond regulatory delays: projects can face costly litigation, years of uncertainty, lost investment, or even cancellation. Billions of dollars of economic activity and thousands of jobs can...
This October, Canada faces both an Alberta referendum that could catalyze an unprecedented independence vote in that province and a provincial election that could do the same in Québec for the third time in 50 years. As a result, the word “sovereignty” has again entered our national, daily political discourse. As it happens, sovereignty is one of the most frequently...
A collection of SubStack publishing within Canadian public affairs.
Peter Nicholson: Thanks, Chris. Since the events of July 2 we have quite a bit more information on the agreement between Canada and Alberta over the rules that are going to govern both the pipeline and oil sands production developments. I think there is a growing recognition that a pipeline shouldn’t be a “field of dreams” – that it is...
Prime Minister Carney has made clear from the outset of his time in office that without a commitment to implement the Pathways carbon capture and storage (CCS) project, there would be no new bitumen pipeline to the B.C. coast. The expectation was formalized in the Nov. 27 Alberta-Ottawa MOU and the May 15 Implementation Agreement. The oil sands industry has...
An Indigenous couple’s remains, repatriated to Canada six years ago, have yet to find a final resting place because their “spiritual belongings” are being held by museums in the United Kingdom. Six objects associated with Demasduit and Nonosabasut, among the last of the Beothuks of Newfoundland, are being retained by the National Museums Scotland and by the British Museum. Thanks...
It’s no secret that there are factions in the Conservative movement in Canada and that not everyone gets along. But over the last couple of weeks Conservative infighting has spilled out into the public with barbs in speeches, podcasts, and social media.
David Herle, Scott Reid, Jordan Leichnitz, and Kory Teneycke provide insights on the latest in Canadian politics.
Almost three years ago, some 200 inmates at Maplehurst Correctional Facility in Milton, Ont. were subjected to strip searches, zip ties and pepper spray during an violent incident that lasted more than a day. Since then, multiple sentences have either been shortened or thrown out, including a first-degree murder case from 2022.
In a nationally televised address last week U.S. President Donald Trump repeated claims about fraud and foreign interference in the 2020 election, and announced the release of declassified documents he says reveal a government cover-up. But with the midterms approaching, there remains much concern that Trump's speech, and his years-long conspiracies, aren’t really about the election he lost, but the...
